mjhjmtu

In my world some scientists were put in what is basically a biodome, and have been teaching their children/grandchildren science and medicine, ect. there was a bioweapon that went haywire and killed/ altered most of humanity, and the scientists were placed there to find a cure. It took longer than expected, and now 200 years later two of those scientists are venturing out into the wild to find a populace large enough to act as a test group for the cure. They hole up in an old hospital that has been somewhat upkept, but I'm wondering how much of the equipment/medicine will still be usable?

Virtually Useless

Two scenarios:

Lots of people survived the apocalypse

• The hospital will have been vandalized and looted for useful equipment within a short period of time. Any supplies - e.g., bandages, medicine, syringes - and any equipment that can function without the power grid will disappear extremely quickly


• If the hospital doesn't become someone's home base, any usable parts of the building will be stripped clean within a few years - metal, electrical wiring, doors, carpeting - you name it, someone will salvage it for their own building.

Few people survived the apocalypse

• Medicines, bandages and other small items will have disintegrated, dried up or otherwise become useless within a few years. "use by" dates don't matter for a few years - but after 200 years very little will be usable. I certainly wouldn't trust the medicine - even something as simple as aspirin will have gone bad.


• The structure and large equipment MAY be usable, depending on the environment. If this is Phoenix then you may be in luck, though 200 years is a very long time. If it is Miami or Hawaii (humidity and saltwater), New York/Chicago/Boston (freeze/thaw cycles) then decay of the structures and everything inside will happen in a matter of decades.


• Animals - from ants & cockroaches to stray cats & dogs to lions, tigers & bears (oh my!) will have had 200 years of easy entrance and chewed anything chewable, bashed anything bashable and pooped everywhere. Again, a hospital in Phoenix may have a somewhat better chance of being a little bit useful, simply because there aren't as many native creatures.

Either way, after 200 years there is pretty much no hope of finding useful medicine, bandages, small equipment, etc. and very little hope of even a useful structure.

Assuming the building is not ransacked:

Most hospital equipment receives very rough treatment, even though worker there try to be careful. It's being pushed here and there. Most of it is heavy and difficult to control Things get bumped and knocked around. Modern corporate medicine being what it is, many supplies will be rather cheap in quality and in minimal & very cheap packaging. So your scenario will almost certainly begin with "pre-degraded" equipment and "ready-to-disintegrate" supplies.

However, some rather surprising things may still be useful even after 200 years!

None of that, I'm sure, will be equipment. Wires will be chewed, insulation will be degraded. Even if they found devices that were functional, chances are really good none of your grandchildren who were taught medicine will actually know how to work the things. Just ask a nurse who actually actually knows how to run all the machines and gadgets. Hint: it isn't the doctors!

So what might still be around?

• 
  

  Paper. In our modern paperless corporate medicine culture, the one thing that has actually proliferated is paper. It's everywhere. Every unit and clinic in the hospital has at least twenty to fifty xerox machines, fax machines & printers. They all rely on reams & reams of paper, and all that paper is stored in relatively safe closets. So, your explorers need never worry about paper! Pencils, paper clips, manila folders, binders, etc., etc. All kinds of office supplies will still be quite functional after 200 years.

  
  
  

  And the most important kind of paper of all -- toilet paper! Big rolls of the stuff literally everywhere!

  
  



• Water. Every unit & clinic & area where people work has a bottled water dispenser. Those big five gallon demijohns. The plastic is pretty heavy duty and, again, these things are generally stored in relatively cool, dark locations (closets). Check the vending areas. Pop (in cans) may still be drinkable even after 200 years.



• 
  Vaseline. Yep. Good old white petrolatum. Stuff lasts forever. I have seen containers of Vaseline dating to the 1940s or earlier and the stuff inside seems pretty stable. A number of rubs in vaseline base will probably also be okay. (Vicks, Mentholatum, etc)


• 
  Saline solutions. Some saline solutions are kept in glass bottles with thick stoppers. Those should be okay, even after 200 years, and will very likely still be sterile. Ordinary saline solutions are kept in thick plastic bags. They would probably be okay, too. Beggars can't be choosers!